Heater and leisure battery

[Julie and Archie]

Hi.

I'm driving to a France for Christmas and wish to stay overnight on the way. Will my leisure battery become depleted by using the heater? I'm worried about flattening battery and not being able to shut roof. Although key required in ignition would suggest it's a different circuit. Advice helpful. Thanks

 

[Hotel California]

Hi , if your Cali is a SE as under your avater , you should have three batteries .
One to start the engine and two others to provide your campingequipment power enough to use your heater and fridge for at least 2-3days ( if your bats are in good shape)
There's always the emergency procedure to lower the roof in case needed.....now i got you worried....don't , you'l do fine.
Is it your first trip?

 

[Blubus]

We have used our heater a lot in the last few weeks without hookup and I am amazed how little power the heater uses. After 12hrs of using the heater including the fridge and lights the control panel showed 80%.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi.

I'm driving to a France for Christmas and wish to stay overnight on the way. Will my leisure battery become depleted by using the heater? I'm worried about flattening battery and not being able to shut roof. Although key required in ignition would suggest it's a different circuit. Advice helpful. Thanks

As @hotel california has said there will be no problem. The Leisure batteries, of which there are 2, power the roof and the Ignition is required to be ON as an added security stage to stop little fingers accidentally closing the roof. If there was, and I mean was, insufficient power then the Control Panel would ask to start the engine to provide additional power.
Put the California on charge for 24 hrs beforehand whilst cooling the fridge down to temperature so when you start off the Leisure batteries will be fully charged and will be kept charged while you drive. If using the fridge DO NOT keep switching it On/Off just leave it at a set temperature while in use. Exactly the same as the Heater. Maximum power requirements are on Switch On and it uses much less when set at an acceptable temperature, So no switching On & Off just get to an acceptable temperature and turn down.
Have fun on your travels and let us all know how you get on.

 

[sidepod]

Will my leisure battery become depleted by using the heater

Hmmmm??? What do you think?

 

[GrannyJen]

During the recent cold spell I have had my heater going all night and a couple of times during they day for a week with no hook-up and no problem.

 

[MattBW]

I believe the heater has voltage protection , so if your battery gets too low it will shut down.

 

[sidepod]

Indeed but I suspect that's well below what's required to operate the roof?
10.5v I think? Not that I've got a leccy roof, just a nice simple handraulic one.

 

[WelshGas]

Indeed but I suspect that's well below what's required to operate the roof?
10.5v I think? Not that I've got a leccy roof, just a nice simple handraulic one.

But then the Control Panel asks for the engine to be started.

 

[Julie and Archie]

Thanks everyone. Feel better. It's my third trip - done two test runs in Yorkshire but nice and safe on CC sites. But this is the big one - 800 miles each way. Thinking of staying at Wissant Aire on way down/back up from to Dordogne.

 

[zisdorf]

We always turn on the engine to lower/raise roof. May not be necessary, but it ensures the fridge/heater are buffered from roof usage and last longer. Besides the environmental impact, any reason not to use the running engine to power the roof?

 

[WelshGas]

We always turn on the engine to lower/raise roof. May not be necessary, but it ensures the fridge/heater are buffered from roof usage and last longer. Besides the environmental impact, any reason not to use the running engine to power the roof?

No reason not to, but not required. Remember, if you have it up for a few days or there is a significant temperature change then the hydraulic pump fires up automatically to retention the roof canvas. No engine involved with that action and always seems to happen at about 0300 hrs.

 

[dayslikethis]

No reason not to, but not required. Remember, if you have it up for a few days or there is a significant temperature change then the hydraulic pump fires up automatically to retention the roof canvas. No engine involved with that action and always seems to happen at about 0300 hrs.

I’ll never forget the first time that happened

 

[KGCali]

No reason not to, but not required. Remember, if you have it up for a few days or there is a significant temperature change then the hydraulic pump fires up automatically to retention the roof canvas. No engine involved with that action and always seems to happen at about 0300 hrs.

Thought the roof was closing on us the first time this happened, didn't sleep the rest of the night Now I just lower it a little then raise it just before we go to bed so avoid those night frights ha ha!

 

[MattBW]

Just made me appreciate my manual roof all the more

 

[Ocean Spirit]

I'm looking for any experience regarding this too please....
My T6 Ocean has never given me any cause to think something is wrong but of late (the last month or so) I have glanced at the console and the battery status has caught my eye.
After about 4 days of working from home I have seen the leisure battery reading down to 80%. So I have plugged in EHU for a coupe of days and all journeys are typically in excess of 22 miles each way so not what I'd call short and fairly free flowing with motorways for half the distance.

Last night it was charged fully.
This morning the heater was started to clear the ice from the windscreen and it was set on level 7. About half hour later I climbed in to see this


After my 22 miles to work the van sat for 5 hours then it showed this below...
What does this mean?
Is the first picture normal in that time frame on level 7?
or are my batteries on their way out?
Something else likely ? (except other stuff left on, all lights and fridge off, nothing plugged in to charge).

 

[ThomasHJ]

Im no expert but did do some research and testing when I recently seemed to have a problem with my leisure batteries.

If your leisure batteries were indeed completely full, by having been charged on EHU the night before, it seems unlikely that 30 min of using the heater in the morning would bring the batteries down to 12.2V.

Keep in mind though that (at least with the T5.1) the batteries aren't really charged to 100% of their capacity when you drive the van. Even though the control panel might show 100% for a short while after the drive. They are however, charged up to 100% when you charge the van on EHU. The voltage-reading on the control panel is also less accurate when the batteries are being drawn from. I understand that it's best to check the batteries when not being drawn from and after a few hours of not using them. The % is also less accurate then teh voltage and sometimes goes up and down. So if the van showed 100% after a drive (and not EHU) thus in reality was charged to 80% (12.5V) and the 12.2V reading was (as it seems) under load (heater) and might go up after turning off the heater, the numbers are less far apart (is this English?) and less strange then you would intially think. But still, I'd do some testing.

I would do some tests: charging the van up to 100% on EHU by leaving it on EHU for 12-24 hours. Then leaving the van alone, not using it, but checking the readings on the control panel every few hours. Write down the readings. Do the same test again, but now turn on the fridge (less irritating then teh heater for people around) to say level 5 or 6 and again write down the readings every few hours. This should give you an idea of how fast the batteries are going down from fully charged to say 12.0V. The readings you write down should give enough insight for people on this forum to tell you whether there is a problem or not.

There's the possibility that the fuse that's situated on top of the rear leisure battery is blown, causing the van to run on just 1 leisure battery as opposed to two. Which could explain the readings going down rather quickly. But as said, I'd do some simple testing to get some figures that tell you more.

If you are ok with electricity you could also measure the V on the leisure batterie(s) directly (a few hours after charging them on EHU) to see what state they are in and whether perhaps the readings on the control panel are wrong.

I'm no expert, and others might correct me, but I hope this helps.

 

[Big Ted]

I've been suspecting my LB's are on the way out, so I bought a cheap bluetooth battery monitor for around £25.



3 minute job to fit it to the rear LB, hardest part was sliding the battery out.




And now I have both a real time display of the voltage, along with a 30 day log of the voltage values.
Not completely sure what the % figure is showing here, I just want to see the voltage value.


I know better measurements could be made with a more expensive device & an earth shunt, but this ticked a box for me & it's a nice simple upgrade.
Much easier than popping out & reading the display & writing it down, with a nice 30 day log which is stored on the device & uploaded to your phone when you are in range & app is opened.


(Since both LB's are in parallel, this voltage is the reading for both, but since they are the same age, I can assume it's an accurate average.)

 

[KGCali]

I've been suspecting my LB's are on the way out, so I bought a cheap bluetooth battery monitor for around £25.

View attachment 72965

3 minute job to fit it to the rear LB, hardest part was sliding the battery out.

View attachment 72966


And now I have both a real time display of the voltage, along with a 30 day log of the voltage values.
Not completely sure what the % figure is showing here, I just want to see the voltage value.
View attachment 72967

I know better measurements could be made with a more expensive device & an earth shunt, but this ticked a box for me & it's a nice simple upgrade.
Much easier than popping out & reading the display & writing it down, with a nice 30 day log which is stored on the device & uploaded to your phone when you are in range & app is opened.


(Since both LB's are in parallel, this voltage is the reading for both, but since they are the same age, I can assume it's an accurate average.)

I have one of these Bluetooth Battery Monitors and they work great on either main or leisure batteries...

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[Ocean Spirit]

@ThomasHJ , @Big Ted , @KGCali

Very helpful thank you!

 

[Ocean Spirit]

I don't know if this adds anything ?
but this is just over 24 hours later since the last of a regular 22 mile commute and last photo in post 16. Its not be driven since then and nothing plugged in and all appears good?
Its cycling between these 2 figures.
I will now go and plug it it to the EHU but before I do....what if that fuse has blown ? @ThomasHJ do you know, is that in line stopping one battery from charging or will just stop power being drawn from it? I doubt I'll get to look at that until tomorrow and would like to plug it in today if possible.

 

[KGCali]

Have a read of this thread
Post in thread 'Are my leisure batteries dead?' https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/are-my-leisure-batteries-dead.38860/post-488278

 

[WelshGas]

I don't know if this adds anything ?
but this is just over 24 hours later since the last of a regular 22 mile commute and last photo in post 16. Its not be driven since then and nothing plugged in and all appears good?
Its cycling between these 2 figures.
I will now go and plug it it to the EHU but before I do....what if that fuse has blown ? @ThomasHJ do you know, is that in line stopping one battery from charging or will just stop power being drawn from it? I doubt I'll get to look at that until tomorrow and would like to plug it in today if possible.
View attachment 72987



View attachment 72988

If the Cube in line fuse has blown then the rear battery is taken out of circuit and only the Leisure Battery under the front passenger seat is charged by the engine alternator and the built in Mains Charger when plugged into a Mains supply.
Instead of having 2 batteries wired in parallel with a total amps of 150 Amps of which about 75 Amps are usable you have 1 battery of 75 Amps with about 37.5Amps usable.

 

[altvic]

I've been suspecting my LB's are on the way out, so I bought a cheap bluetooth battery monitor for around £25.

View attachment 72965

3 minute job to fit it to the rear LB, hardest part was sliding the battery out.

View attachment 72966


And now I have both a real time display of the voltage, along with a 30 day log of the voltage values.
Not completely sure what the % figure is showing here, I just want to see the voltage value.
View attachment 72967

I know better measurements could be made with a more expensive device & an earth shunt, but this ticked a box for me & it's a nice simple upgrade.
Much easier than popping out & reading the display & writing it down, with a nice 30 day log which is stored on the device & uploaded to your phone when you are in range & app is opened.


(Since both LB's are in parallel, this voltage is the reading for both, but since they are the same age, I can assume it's an accurate average.)

If this was fitted across the 2nd leisure battery under the left / passenger seat, would this also give an indication whether or not the other leisure battery under the wardrobe had a broken fuse. My thinking being that a faster reduction in the 2nd leisure voltage would be seen? Could have this totally wrong!

 

[KGCali]

If this was fitted across the 2nd leisure battery under the left / passenger seat, would this also give an indication whether or not the other leisure battery under the wardrobe had a broken fuse. My thinking being that a faster reduction in the 2nd leisure voltage would be seen? Could have this totally wrong!

It would be better if the Bluetooth voltage monitor was fitted on the rear leisure battery on the battery terminal side of the fuse so when charging a higher voltage (~14v) would be shown if all OK (same voltage as shown on Control Panel) OR if the fuse was blown it would only show the lower battery voltage (~12v)